The menswear collections presented in Milan at the weekend surely had some hints at the financial crisis that is still gripping the world. There weren’t indeed too many extremely flamboyant excesses during the various shows, but sensible suits, jackets and coats in dark or neutral nuances prevailed. It’s a good sign, though, as this means that the garments and accessories showcased at the recent catwalks were not only for young and hip fashionistas, but also for real men.
Bow ties in the same fabrics as that used for T-shirts and shirts were a must at Gaetano Navarra who presented a collection mainly characterised by clear-cut coats and jackets, interesting velvet parkas with fur hoods and oversized woollen cardigans and baggy jumpers paired with soft long johns.
Dolce & Gabbana did an interesting presentation with an emphasis on craftsmanship: videos displayed images of the technique used for basket-weaving, a reference to the evening jackets that seemed made with hundreds of interwoven satin ribbons. There was also a return to their Sicilian origins with "coppola" hats appearing a lot during the catwalk, while a touch of quirky glamour was added by purple or red slippers and shiny quilted jackets and trousers.
Marni was among those fashion houses who, in times of crisis, opted for a presentation rather than for a proper catwalk. Yet the punk-meets-grunge-meets-glamour garments such as the T-shirt with a print of Kim Gordon’s artwork paired with a little cardigan and cashmere long johns (undoubtedly a trend come Autumn 09…) weren’t simply enough to hide the sparseness of Consuelo Castiglioni’s menswear collection.
The best collection presented on Saturday was undoubtedly Jil Sander’s. I’m not sure if Raf Simons studied the silhouettes of the men’s suits on Italian sartorial magazines from the late 60s, but the rounded shouldered silhouette of his jackets and coats reminded me of the hourglass jackets designed in 1966 by the historical Florentine tailoring house Carbone and of the 60s coats by Italian tailor Roberto Combattente, famous for drawing his inspirations from the Neapolitan tailoring school.
Simons’ garments seemed to have a special tailored precision that emphasised the shoulders and the waist. The defined shapes of the coats gave them an essential modern elegance, but there was also a clever use of contrasting textures applied in two-tone sweaters and jackets with white and grey shades fading into black, an effect that looked painted, though it was actually woven into the fabric.
Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi might instead have committed the first mistake of their career since they became creative directors at Gianfranco Ferré. Despite their spot on references to architecture and their research into contemporary fabrics, there was a strong emphasis on unnecessary oversized knits and scarves that, rather than giving the impression of enveloping and cocooning the body, seemed to engulf and hinder movement.
Massimiliano Giornetti at Salvatore Ferragamo did an interesting, though shambolic, journey backwards in time: the first suits and coats on the catwalk looked modern, with rather puzzling garments such as cream leather tracksuit bottoms. Then decadent and vampirical dandies in velvet suits and dark coloured shirts with tall collars and flamboyant bows strode down the catwalk. Though the clothes were well cut and the fabrics excellent, Giornetti gave the impression he wanted to give too many options to the buyers, but what he ended up obtaining was an undesired and confused melting pot effect.
Confusion kept on reigning also at Vivienne Westwood with school uniform-like suits, workwear clothes such as denim aprons worn with coats, evening jackets paired with knee padded trousers, apron-like dungarees that left the buttocks exposed and kilts worn with floral jackets.
There was instead a nice touch of illusionism at Neil Barrett’s with leather sweatshirts with embossed knitwear motifs and two-in-one jackets. The theme might have been taken further, though, as a bit of experimentation in this otherwise relatively sombre and sober weekend would have been really welcome.
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This is m more conservative fashion sense is reflected by minimal accessories, matched up with traditional and functional choices in outfits. And I think the collection is for people who prefer function over fashion.
Posted by: clip on ties | July 12, 2011 at 11:47 AM